Staying a Step Ahead
by Dawnieorion
Summary: A mysterious, dangerous vampire shows up in Mystic Falls with ties to Elena, Katherine, Stefan, and the Original family. Who is this woman and what is her hidden agenda? Why is she fascinated with Elena and Katherine? What is this solution to Klaus' doppelganger problem that she claims to have? And why is she asking Klaus to pardon Katherine? What is h
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognize from CW.

Summary: A mysterious, dangerous vampire shows up in Mystic Falls with ties to Elena, Katherine, Stefan, and the Original family. Who is this woman? Why is she fascinated with Elena and Katherine? What is this solution to Klaus' doppelganger problem that she claims to have? And why is she asking Klaus to pardon Katherine?

I stopped outside the door of the house where I was told I would find Niklaus. I could hear him walking around the house. I slipped inside the front door as quietly as I could before running at full speed for him. I pushed him to the ground and kept running. He stood up and looked around for me. This time I ran straight for him. I grabbed him by the neck and the back of his shirt and threw him. He landed and rolled over to his feet. He rushed me this time. I ducked and ran past him. This time I stopped and watched him watch me from the other side of the room.

I held my right hand to my hip and tilted my head. "Hello, Nik." I greeted him in my thick English accent that mirrored Rebekah's. I walked past him to his small liquor supply on a table and poured myself a small glass of Bourbon.

"Natalya. What brings you to Mystic Falls?" He asked in his own distinctive accent as I drank the glass in its entirety.

I walked towards him, the echo of my five inch stilettos the only sound in the room until I spoke again. "Couple of reason. One, I missed you." I lightly fingered his shirt with my right hand and reached up slightly to kiss him. I pulled away ever so slightly to whisper dramatically. "Two, I heard about your doppelganger problem and I think I may have a solution for you." I stepped away to help myself to another drink. I lifted the drink to my mouth to take a sip when I was grabbed and slammed into a wall, the glass falling to the ground.

"What is this solution you speak of?" His hand encircled around my neck began to squeeze.

"All in good time, _daddy._" I purred as seductively as one can when being choked. He glared at me for a moment before letting go of me. I rolled my neck back and forth to stretch it then looked back at Nik. "Besides, I'd rather take care of pleasure before business." I stepped forward to kiss him again. This time Nik responded and deepened the kiss, our tongues meeting and exploring the other's mouths. It had been a while since we had seen each other. We crossed the room entangled in each other, our hands constantly moving across the other's body. I kicked my heels off as Nik laid me down on one of the couches in his sitting area.

His lips left mine and slowly made their way down my neck. He reached my neck and paused, his fangs extending and his eyes becoming bloody and veiny. He leaned back down and bit into my neck. I gasped slightly as he began to drink from me. He drank for several seconds before I stopped him, "That's enough, Nik. Unless you want to finish without me." He withdrew his fangs from my neck and licked the wound he had inflicted before bringing his lips back up to mine and kissing me, allowing me to taste my own blood off his lips.

I grabbed him and sped across the room at vamp speed to slam Nik into the wall, easily cracking spots of the wall. He placed his hands on my hips and lifted as I jumped and wrapped my legs around his torso as ran up the stairs to a bedroom. He entered the room and dropped me to my feet and shutting door behind us. I reached up with both hands and hit him in the chest, throwing him backwards so that he landed on his king-sized bed. I lifted my shirt over my head and made my way to the bed. I climbed onto the bed so that I was straddling Nik and reached down to rip his shirt in separate directions, the buttons flying across the room. I leaned down and starting right above his belly button, I ran my tongue up to a nipple - my long, dark brown hair shielding my face from his - that I nibbled slightly before reaching to unbutton my jean when my back pocket began playing _Highway to Hell _by AC/DC.

"What on Earth is that God-awful noise?" Nik asked as I stopped and reached for my cell phone.

"It's my cell phone." I unlocked the home screen and found a text message from my minion, David. _I've got the girl. En route to Mystic Falls._ I replied, _Perfect. I'll let you know where to bring her. Wait for my instructions._ I relocked the screen and slid the phone back into my pocket and smiled down at Nik. "Where were we?"

"You were blowing me off for a bloody text message." He glared up at me.

"Trust me, you'll thank me in the morning." I grinned at him as he flipped me over onto my back and ripped my jeans off of me letting our animalistic instincts take over.

_This is the first Vampire Diaries story that I've attempted, but have had the story in my head for a while. Let me know what you think. If I get any reviews, I'll keep going. If not, I'll accept that this short chapter wasn't much of a hook. If continued, chapters will be longer, the chapters on my Twilight story are generally 2000 words a chapter. Please let me know if I should continue or not. _


	2. Another Doppelganger

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.

I winced as I moved my head. Nik's bite on my neck was growing and the werewolf venom would begin its mild effects before too long. I rolled over to find Nik asleep beside me. I reached up and lightly brushed my lips against his to wake him up.

"Morning, Nik. We have a bit to talk about. But first things first." I moved so that I was hovering over him and let the constant bloodlust take over so that my fangs would extend. I leaned down and sunk into his neck. The warm, thick liquid poured into my mouth as I swallowed it down. I could feel his blood healing the bite on my neck. I let go and laid back down beside him. "Nights like last night make me wonder why we ever separate."

"You mentioned that I would thank you in the morning. It's morning, when do I begin thanking you?" Nik asked me sarcastically.

I groaned. "You sure know how to ruin a moment." I leaned over his stomach and reached for my jeans on the floor. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and scrolled through the photos until I found the ones I wanted. "I have conditions to this information."

Nik raised his eyebrows at me. "A little demanding this morning, aren't we? All right, if your information leads to me being able to create more hybrids, then I will abide by your conditions. Five hundred and twenty years, you've not deceived or failed me yet."

"First of all, the girl is under my protection. If I leave town, she leaves town. Second, you may not take more than a pint of her blood per month. Third, you may not have a drop of blood from her for another four and a half months. Fourth, I have one more favor to ask of you, but not right now. When the time is right, I will ask you and remind you that it is to fulfill this agreement. Do you concur?"

He seemed to think for a moment before responding. "Who is this girl and why may I not touch her for four and a half months?"

I enlarged a picture on my phone that I had come across after dealing with Isobel for Niklaus the year earlier. "Do you recognize anyone in this picture?" I showed him a picture of Isobel and two newborn baby girls in her arms.

"Of course, that's the history teacher's wife. I am assuming one of the infants is Elena, my doppelganger. Who is the other?"

I smirked at him. "Her twin sister, Veronica."

He took the phone from me and sat up in the bed. "Identical twin sister?"

"No, they were fraternal twins,-" Nik cut me off.

"How does that help me now or in four and a half months?" He seethed as he threw the phone across the room.

"If you would allow me to speak. The witch I spoke to said that the blood should work the same as long as it comes from _a _doppelganger. The doppelganger curse was placed on the Petrova bloodline. Did you honestly think there was only one _version_ of the doppelganger?"

"You're saying there is more than one set of doppelgangers?" Nik looked as if he was considering several possibilities.

"I am. There are two. When the original witch, your mother, cast the spell and cursed the Petrova bloodline, there were two in existence. Tatia and her daughter. They were both keys to the doppelganger curse and both have doppelgangers. I have found the most recent doppelganger and she will be here today." I pushed him out of the bed. "Now, get me my phone so that I can make arrangements for the girl to be delivered."

He picked up my phone and handed it to me. "Why can I not touch her for four and a half months?"

"She's pregnant, the poor thing. Yet another case of teenage pregnancy." I sent a message to David to let him know where to bring the girl.

"I seem to recall that you had seven children by the time you reached twenty years of age." Nik pointed out with a grin.

"That was different. I was married. It was the fifteen hundreds. It was perfectly acceptable and even encouraged." I paused before shaking my head at him. "Why am I defending myself to you? You were the one who arranged my marriage." I reminded him.

"So I did. All right, I will agree to all of your conditions."

"I knew you would. I hope you don't mind that the girl and I will be living with you for the time being."

"Of course, anyone else you care to invite to move into _my_ home?" He asked me sarcastically.

"No, that should suffice." My cell phone began ringing again, alerting me to a new text message. _Will be there shortly._ "She is on her way. Now, where can I find Rebekah? I heard she has been undaggered." I asked, changing the subject.

"She no longer lives here. She found her own place to live after we had a bit of a falling out."

"What did you do to her now?" I sighed as I climbed out of the bed and started redressing in the clothes I had been wearing the night before.

"Where are you going now?"

"To wait for our guest." I pulled my shirt over my head and trudged to the main sitting area.

Fifteen minutes later, David knocked on the door. I opened the door and held it as he and Veronica walked through the door.

"Hello, Veronica. I hope you had a fairly good trip." I leaned backwards on the door to shut the door the led them into the sitting room. "Please make yourself at home." I stopped and called towards the upper floor. "Nik? Our guests have arrived." Veronica sat in one of the chairs on the other side of the room so that I was between her and the entrance to the room.

It took Niklaus fifteen seconds to enter the room. "So, where is our special guest I have heard so much about?"

"Veronica, this is Niklaus; Nik, meet Veronica." I moved so that I was not blocking her, revealing her to him. He took her in from her long, dark brown hair (not as dark as the other doppelgangers Elena and Katherine), her green eyes, her jawline, the sway she crossed her legs, and the way she sat. All identical to my appearance, my exact double.

I didn't get any reviews last chapter, but wanted to go ahead and update again just in case somebody liked it and might decide to review this chapter.


	3. Let's see if this works

Many Thanks for my first two reviews.

_Guest, _I do not currently have an endgame in mind. This is my first TVD fanfic and am right now trying to find a footing for Natalya in the universe. Maybe after I've established who she is, her plan, and her motives, I can begin to plan an endgame, right now I'm enjoying the process of planning no more further than a chapter or two in advance. The last fanfic I posted (for _Twilight_), had over two hundred pages typed before I posted even the first chapter.

_Hidansgirl1234, _I will have longer chapters. I can promise that even without knowing my endgame as stated above. I'm getting into my grove and with these characters and am looking forward to the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I still own nothing that you recognize.

Nik look at her then to me. He walked over to me and grabbed my wrist, dragging me out of the room.

"What is the meaning of this?" He pointed back towards the room where Veronica was sitting.

"Whatever do you mean?" I asked coyly, knowing full well what he meant.

"Except for the obvious signs of pregnancy, I can not tell the two of you apart."

"Put two and two together Nik." I paused to give him a moment. He looked at me expectantly. I rolled my eyes and continued. "I am a Petrova doppelganger. I am Katerina Petrova's daughter, which brings me to the favor I mentioned earlier. I would like you to pardon Katerina."

"Why would I do that?" Nik asked me incredulously.

"Think about it. If you had sacrificed Katerina in fourteen ninety two - barring that you had actually used Elijah's mystical, magical juice to save her - she would be dead. You would not have been able to make your hybrids. By running, Katerina actually helped you, in a sense. Elena's friends and family refused to let her die and found a way around the sacrifice, giving you access to her blood after the ritual so that you can make your hybrids. Pardon her, she did you a favor."

"How do you know so much about the happenings of Mystic Falls? I've not spoke to you in nearly two years. And why is it so important to you that I pardon Katerina?"

"I ran into Elijah last month. He filled me in on everything I've missed: the sacrifice, your hybrids, Mikael and Finn's death, just everything. I would like the chance to maybe get to know my birth mother. Don't get me wrong, I love you and Rebekah more than anything in the world and appreciate everything the two of you have done for me since finding me as a child; but, I think I deserve a chance to meet her. That will never happen as long as she is running from you."

"Especially, since she knows you're my right hand. You have gotten very close to her several times over the years. Fine, I will pardon her. How did you find out she was your mother?"

"A story for another time, my doppelganger awaits." I reminded him of my "twin" in the lounge. We both entered the room to find Veronica sitting in a one of two chairs that sat side by side. David was standing on the other side of the room. I poured myself a glass of whiskey and waited for Nik.

"David, your services are no longer required. You can leave now." I dismissed the minion as I sipped from the glass.

"What about my payment?"

"You will get your payment. Right now, I am telling you to leave." I reiterated annoyed.

"No! You promised me payment for retrieving and transporting the girl. I am not leaving without it." He replied demandingly.

I moved the glass of whiskey from my right hand to my left and started towards him slowly. I was a foot away from him when I started to pass a wooden table beside the couch. I bent down and broke one of the legs off the table and brought it down into his heart, killing him instantly and unexpectedly. "How's that for payment?" I asked to no one in particular as he fell to the ground.

"Now, I believe a test is in order for you Nik." I crossed the room to where Veronica was sitting. I stepped up into the chair beside her and crouched down into the chair sideways so that I was facing her. She looked over at me. "Do you trust me inexplicably?"

"Yes, of course." Her three words was the biggest difference between us. I had a thick English accent and she had an American accent.

"Give me your wrist." She had placed her hand in mind. I looked directly into her eyes. "You will not move or make a sound. You will not feel a thing." I looked over at Nik. "Do you have a dagger by chance?"

He left the room momentarily and returned with a small dagger that was easily a hundred years old. I took it from him and smoothly sliced her wrist open. The blood started pouring from her freely. I turned her wrist over and let the blood flow into my glass of whiskey and when I was sure there was enough brought her wrist to my mouth to drink a little. I did not take much, just a little snack. I let go of her and bit into my own wrist then put it up her mouth. "Drink." I instructed. She began drinking and let go after seconds.

I stood up and began stirring the blood and whiskey together with my finger as I walked over to Nik. "Wanna taste?" I asked as I brought my finger, still wet with the blood and whiskey mixture, up to his lips. He licked the liquid off my finger.

"Delicious. Now let's see if it works." He narrowed his eyes at me. I set the glass down on a table that matched the one that I had broken.

"Hope you don't mind me using one of your minions. Mine's a little dead." I glanced at the body still lying in the floor.

"Of course not." He looked towards foyer. "Oscar, a moment please." He called out in a normal voice. Seconds later, a dark-haired, scruffy man in his late twenties walked in.

"Do you require my services, sir?" He asked with a little bow. I raised my eyebrows. This was something I expected as recently as a hundred years ago, but not now.

"Not him, me." I walked over to him. "I need you to go out into town me a werewolf. Any werewolf will do. Bring them back alive."

"Why should I listen to you?" He sneered at me.

"I would listen to her if I was you, mate." Klaus directed to him to David, dead in the floor.

"Fine." He turned and left the room.

I turned and looked over at Veronica still sitting in the chair quietly, her hand on the small belly that had been forming. "Why don't you go upstairs and lie down for a while?"

She nodded and started to walk upstairs. Nik followed her. "Here let me make sure that you are comfortable." He placed one arm around her and led her out of the room. I decided to dispose of David. I picked up his arms and started dragging him through the house to the driveway where I picked him up and lugged him into the trunk of my Porsche Panamera. I slammed the lid down and climbed into the driver's seat. I drove until I found a river. I parked on the bridge and climbed out of the car. I didn't hear anyone coming from either direction so I opened the trunk and hauled the body back out of the car. With one swift movement, I picked him up and threw him over the side of the bridge and watched as he fell to the water below and started drifting away.

_Three Hours Later_

I was growing impatient. How difficult was it to find a werewolf? What was the old saying? If you want something done right, you must do it yourself. I was getting ready to leave and find my own wolf when Oscar walked in dragging a girl by her hair. The brunette looked up at me at me with her hazel green eyes.

"What do you want with me?" She spat as he threw her to the ground.

"I want to help you." I grabbed her by the throat with my left hand and picked her up, shoving her against the wall. I bit into my right wrist and shoved it into her mouth. After several moments, she tried gasping and swallowing for air, swallowing my blood as well. I let go of her throat and wrapped my hands around her head. "What's your name?"

"Hayley." She struggled against my hands.

"Welcome to your new life, Hayley." With a twist of my hands, her neck was broken and she crumpled to the ground, temporarily dead.

Let me know what you think about this chapter. Hopefully, my little twist at the end was a little unexpected. As always, please review.


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